


Dearly Beloved

by BabyChocoboAlchemist



Series: Operation: Protect and Love Hop [4]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternative version of the final battle against Hop, Angst with a Happy Ending, First Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Pride, Gen, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Male Slash, post-game headcanons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:00:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25101286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyChocoboAlchemist/pseuds/BabyChocoboAlchemist
Summary: “I don’t give a damn what you say or do,” he growls, fists trembling, eyes flashing. “This has been your dream. You’ve done nothingbuttalk about how you want to become Galar’s next Champion. If walking out on this makes you mad at me, so what? Big deal! That’s a risk I’m willing to take!"An alternate version of the final battle against Hop. Victor knows just how precious Hop's dream is to him-which is why their battle in the Championship Tournament takes an unexpected turn. A fairy tale unfolds in a stadium of titans, and Hop is at its center.(Written to 'Dearly Beloved' variations from the Kingdom Hearts series.)
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan, Hop/Masaru | Victor
Series: Operation: Protect and Love Hop [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817446
Comments: 7
Kudos: 74





	Dearly Beloved

**Author's Note:**

> Hi to one and all. Thank you for coming to my Poke adventure. I’m very happy you’re here, even if you leave a Kudos without a comment. It all means the world to me!
> 
> Please be well and safe, my Poke friends!

Every last person in the stadium is choking Victor, all the while burning holes into his skull. Forcing him to make a decision that goes against everything he holds dear. And their cheers only drive knives into his skin.

A nightmare is unfolding, right before his very eyes. The very storm he feared is unyielding, unwavering, cheering and screaming, forcing him against the ropes. The faces around him are alive with electric adrenaline, hearts and souls are pulsating with excitement, and it all eats away at him. His stomach violently churns, his head’s spinning-he wants it all to stop, but the noise from the crowd lets him know he’s right at the nightmare’s core. It’s nearly impossible to breathe without feeling as if he’s swallowing a thousand knives, and his heart’s pounding upon the drums of war. It should all be exhilarating, but it isn’t. It hurts.

If only it would all stop.

Inteleon turns to him, his face wreathed in astronomical uneasiness. All of Victor’s Pokemon have become one with him, all of them in tune with his emotions, and his first Pokemon is no exception. The young trainer’s pain has become Inteleon’s, clear and crisp, sharper than any knife could ever hope to be. The crowd’s cheers grow even louder but the Water Pokemon remains still, silently assuring his trainer that no matter what, he’ll always support his friend. Victor acknowledges the support with a silent nod, infinitely grateful for his team, but then his stomach begins to churn with even greater poison. It all needs to stop but it won’t. It keeps going.

And Hop’s right there, at the very center of the storm.

His Dubwool is at his side, his benevolent, fatherly features aglow with worry. His trainer’s face is ablaze with astonishment, an emotion that’s just as loud as the crowd. But before Hop can even utter a single word, Victor makes a decision. He pulls the words from the battered, tired depths of his soul, growling them through gritted teeth. There’s no Pokeball in his hand, as Sobble has never once been inside of a Pokeball, but Hop can tell what Victor’s about to do.

_”Inteleon, stand down!”_

The Pokemon immediately steps out of the line of fire. Silence spreads throughout the crowd like wildfire, with a commentator frantically reporting on how Hop’s opponent has just ordered his Pokemon to stop battling. Leon’s brother is the very picture of shock.

“Vic, what’s going on, mate?”

Victor’s response is immediate. Just as fierce as the flames from a Dragon-type Pokemon. “We’re done,” he snarls, hands balled into the tightest fists, trembling. The crowd releases a collective gasp and grows even quieter, awaiting even more unexpected turns in the battle between aspiring trainers. The earth itself becomes silent as even the stars focus solely on the two trainers, one of them with a bowed head and trembling spirit, the other completely overwhelmed by disbelief. Astonishment surges through the crowd like Pikachu’s Thundershock, quickly claiming all present bodies, leaving no one untouched. Leon, as one of the many members of the audience, observes the unfolding exchange with a fiery glow of pride. “I’m not going through with this any more,” Victor confesses, causing the crowd to release another gasp. Hop opens his mouth to speak, but the other trainer takes a step forward and cuts through his friend’s thoughts.

_“If you think I’m going to crush your dreams, think again!”_

Leon’s grinning like a baby Pokemon with a brand-new toy. All eyes are on the two trainers, who are tiny shards underneath a hidden sky but have become the center of Galar. Hop stares at Victor in crystal-clear bewilderment, his Dubwool exchanges silent understanding of the situation with Inteleon, and Victor looks very much like an infuriated Machamp. Overflowing with fury, frustration and sadness, the young trainer takes an even firmer stand. “I thought about this, long and hard,” the brunette admits. “I thought about knocking you out of the finals and taking the Championship title for myself. But you know what? I’m out. I’m not going through with this! I can’t put my Pokemon through this any more, and I’m _not_ going to be the one to steal your dreams! Forget it!”

Leon exchanges a radiant smile with Victor’s mother. Her son tried, tried to throw the battle, tried to hold his Pokemon back in order to lead Hop to a win, but it didn’t work. Trying to throw a battle _before_ the Championship didn’t work, as a smiling Hop pressed his friend to fight at his best. Leon’s little brother wanted his team to be in top form, so they could all grow from the experience. Throwing their final duel would not only send mixed signals to his Pokemon, but the gesture would ultimately feel empty. Lying to Hop, all the while putting a lid on his Pokemon-two things that were _not_ on Victor’s to-do list. He started off the first couple minutes of their duel purposefully giving his Pokemon odd orders, but then he caught Hop’s smile and everything just felt wrong. Everything _still_ feels wrong.

All eyes dart to Hop the second he opens his mouth. He trembles as he speaks, still caught up in the adrenaline of battle, but also swept up in the intensity of Victor’s actions. “We’ve been through this, Vic,” he reminds his old friend gently. He kneels to comfort his concerned Wooloo, patting the top of the Pokemon’s head. “You and I are-”

Victor’s voice rivals a Charizard’s roar. “You and I _nothing!”_

The crowd lets out a loud gasp, ablaze with shock and merriment, mesmerized by the young trainer that has suddenly become a titan at the center of their stadium. “I don’t give a damn what you say or do,” he growls, fists trembling, eyes flashing. “This has been your dream. You’ve done nothing _but_ talk about how you want to become Galar’s next Champion. If walking out on this makes you mad at me, so what? Big deal! That’s a risk I’m willing to take! _I love you, dammit! I’d rather walk out on our duel than rip your dream to shreds!”_

The crowd lets out an even louder gasp over Victor’s revelation. At the center of their world, one trainer just admitted to having feelings for his opponent, and those feelings are most certainly strong. A revelation that shook the core of their stadium, and their galaxy, like a baby’s rattle. Hop’s voice is softer when he speaks, strained by waves of tears. The fate of his heart depends on Victor’s answer-the anxiousness in his eyes, and the tears that fall, all make that brutally clear. His friend’s confession left him breathless, overtaken by tears, and the ensuing conversation isn’t helping him to calm down. “You don’t think I can do this, then?”

“That’s _not_ what I’m saying. One of us _has_ to lose, and I’m terrified. There’s a chance I might win, and that’s not a chance I want to take. Not at the expense of you hating me. If I have to choose between having you disappointed in me, and even a _little_ part of you hating me for taking your dream away, I think I’ll go with the first option.”

“I could _never_ hate you, Vic,” Leon’s brother assures him, breathless, seconds away from sobbing because the confession was completely unexpected, standing on the edge of the world with his most beloved friend was completely unexpected, and nothing feels real. “If you won, I’d-”

Victor’s unwilling to give Hop even an inch of the stage. His eyes flash malevolently, but there’s no hatred, no venom directed at Hop-it’s all entirely directed at the nightmare he fears. “Let’s say that’s true. Let’s say I win and you don’t hate me. I’m _still_ going to be the one that took your dream away. _Not_ something I’d like to live with. If you lose, lose against Leon. As for me and my team, we’re done.”

He turns and walks away, eyes forward, never looking back. Inteleon nods at Dubwool before silently accompanying his friend. And it is a silent world they leave behind, one filled with astonishment and awe, smiling faces and thrilled spirits.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His blood’s still boiling, his skin’s still crawling, but he feels a hundred times better.

He and Inteleon are inside of their assigned fitting room, away from the thousands of screaming, cheering fans and Hop. Victor takes off the last piece of his battle uniform and puts on the outfit he wore prior to the Championship, feeling as though he took a hundred boulders off each shoulder. It’s a relief, finally being able to breathe again, without innumerable voices pushing him to do something against his will. As for Hop-

Hop’s fine. He gets to keep his dream.

Victor knows he’ll be pounced on by a swarm of reporters, probably the moment he steps outside. He knows it, expects it, but doesn’t fear it. What matters is that his friend gets to keep on going. What matters is that his Pokemon get to continue on their own journey to greatness with him, without him being torn in half. So he takes a final look at his battle uniform and smiles, knowing he made the right choice. Inteleon gives him a thumbs-up, reminding him of the unconditional support his team’s always willing to give, Victor sets the uniform aside to return the thumbs-up, and-

Someone knocks on the door. Inteleon’s friend believes the reporters have already begun to hunt him down, but the soft, tearful voice from the other side of the door proves him wrong.

“It’s me, Vic.”

The young brunette sighs, rolling his eyes. “Go _away,_ Hop. I’m _not_ changing my mind.”

The emotion coming from the other side of the door is raw. “I know. I just...I just came to say that I...I love you too, Victor! With everything I am! I love you too!”

Victor opens the door. Hop immediately throws his arms around the other trainer, sobbing, and his friend does nothing to shake him off. Victor wraps his arms around the other and holds him, resting his head against the top of Hop’s head, caressing the other’s back. They hold each other in a world that’s due to be overwhelmed with voices and adrenaline, submerged in each other’s warmth in their quiet corner of the world. “You’re mad at me, aren’t you?” Inteleon’s owner asks, his voice loving, soft. 

Hop lifts his eyes, revealing eyes that have been widened in shock. “How _can_ I be? I’ve got the greatest boyfriend in all of Galar! Vic, you totally just confessed to me in front of all those people! That stuff only happens in fairy tales, man!”

“Yeah, well, welcome to your fairy tale,” Victor chuckles, eyes twinkling with infinite warmth. Just a few minutes ago, he was a titan that would’ve caused Zacian to tremble. Now he’s just as warm and soft as a Wooloo. He ruffles Hop’s hair, the warmth of that smile piercing the other trainer’s heart.

“Now go out there and knock ‘em dead. Just remember: no matter what happens, you always have been and always will be a champion to me. And once all of this championship stuff is over with, we can have a _real_ battle. Just you, me, and our Pokemon. No titles, no stadium, no crowd. Just us.”

**Author's Note:**

> Cue Leon and Victor’s mother squealing over the two of them, as if Victor just proposed to Hop, and the entire region of Galar gushing over Victor’s confession.
> 
> This is very well the end of my ‘Operation: Protect and Love Hop’ collection, written to all variations of ‘Dearly Beloved’ from the Kingdom Hearts series. It’s the end of my 4th of July weekend collection, anyway. As I only have free time on the weekends, this piece marks the end of these adventures for the time being. These were all written out of a need to self-indulge myself in fluff, and a need to defend one of the most hated rivals in the franchise: Hop. Writing a strong, protective and loving Victor is great therapy for someone that doesn’t have a Victor in her life.
> 
> This particular piece was inspired by comments on how people hated taking Hop down in the Finals, and how his reaction to losing crushed them. I wanted to write a ‘what if’ piece on Victor allowing Hop to continue on, unwilling to crush the dream of someone he cares deeply for. I mean, how can you be carefree while stepping on your best friend’s dream? I made sure Victor was thoroughly repulsed by the idea. 
> 
> Hop goes on to battle Leon but loses. He goes on to become Sonia’s assistant, still making the decision to become a Pokemon Professor. After Hop chooses his new path, he and Victor have their no-holds barred battle in the Slumbering Weald. As Hop is mentally drained, and Victor’s team is still drained from the Championship Tournament, their duel ends in a double knock-out, resulting in no clear winner. They leave it at that, happy to be moving into a beautiful, blinding new future.
> 
> Victor’s confession to Hop makes him into a brand new celebrity for Galar, despite him walking out on the tournament. Leon remains the Champion of Galar, but is even more eager to usher in a new age, thrilled about the possibility of someday battling his region’s next Champion. Sonia takes an eager, hopeful Hop on as her assistant, and Victor decides to journey to other regions, in order to find a path of his own. Before he leaves, he gives Hop an Applin, vowing to forever love him and only him, no matter the distance that separates them. Hop returns the vow. They stand in the Slumbering Weald as this happens.
> 
> Professor Hop and Victor, Kanto’s new Champion, are married in the Slumbering Weald seven years later. And they remain forever infatuated with each other, until the end of their days. 
> 
> Hop’s brother loses the Championship title to another trainer several months after Victor leaves. He merrily embarks on a new journey-building the Pokemon Battle Tower and nurturing all upcoming trainers. Leon marries Raihan at the same time Hop marries Victor, and still ends up hopelessly lost wherever he goes.
> 
> Leon and Victor are the best of friends, the former seeing the latter as his ‘hero’.


End file.
